Anniversary
by dna2000
Summary: Modern AU M/M. A collection of one-shots of Matthew and Mary as a couple, over a period of years, providing an insight into where their lives are on various anniversaries. Fluff (with some smut for good measure)!


_A/N: I know, I know...I have a disease. I can't seem to stop coming up with new fic ideas and then being really slow at updating them. But I figured it's better to give in to the small bursts of creativity whenever they do arise, even if it is for the wrong fic! I found myself coming up with lots of fluffy one-shot ideas of M/M as a married couple, especially with kids, but didn't want to end up posting loads of separate one-shots, so I thought I'd group them together in a collection of one-shots based on the theme of anniversaries. I.e. each chapter is the day of a particular anniversary for M/M, and it is just an insight into what stage of their lives they are at at that time. Nothing serious, just a way to write some fluff!_

_This will be in the same universe as 'A New Problem' and 'Priorities', in case you wondered!_

_..._

"Daddy?"

Matthew looked up from where he was sat at the table, pen in hand and his papers strewn before him. Once again, she was interrupting his work, although he could hardly begrudge her for it. His four-year-old daughter was the apple of his eye. The only problem was that she seemed to know it and exploited this fact to make unreasonable requests from him, especially when her mother was out of the house.

"Yes, Ella?"

"Can we watch The Little Mermaid?" Came the eager response. Her voice was still baby-like, although over the last year or so it had developed a rather commanding tone. There was no doubt as to which side of the family she inherited _that_ from, he thought.

"Again?" Matthew asked, his eyebrows raising slightly in surprise. Since having his first child, he'd found himself straining to remember exactly what he'd been like at Ella's age. He couldn't always remember, although he could be fairly sure in this instance that he had never asked to watch the same film twice in one day. Ella merely nodded once, as if to indicate she had little time to waste on these clarificatory questions. "Are you going to dress George up as a mermaid again? Because I'm not sure how much he enjoyed that this morning." He said, sympathetic to little George who had been forced by his big sister to endure having both of his chubby legs stuffed into one of her green socks.

"No, I think he'll be better as Flounder because he's fat too." Ella replied, holding up a yellow T-shirt of hers that had two blue stripes running across the middle. "He can wear this."

Matthew chuckled to himself as he rose from his chair to make his way to the DVD player. "OK, darling."

Ella cocked her head to the side slightly, a small frown on her face. "How come you call me and George _and_ Mummy 'darling'?"

"Because you're all my darlings." Matthew replied fondly as he popped the DVD in.

"I think you should have a different name for Mummy." Ella declared, as she set about pulling her T-shirt over her baby brother's head. It fell over him easily, the hole for the head being only slightly smaller than the circumference of his body.

"Oh I have lots of names for Mummy." Matthew blurted out with a smirk, before catching his daughter's innocently perplexed expression and clearing his throat awkwardly. "Erm, anyway, the film's about to start." He said, shuffling back towards his work.

Thankfully, Ella settled herself against the cushions to enjoy the animation, George sat contentedly beside her, only occasionally trying to bat away the masses of yellow fabric that surrounded him, and Matthew was able to get on with some of his long overdue work.

Some time later, the front door opened and, almost instantly, George began to babble and kick his legs in excitement. Matthew smiled broadly at the familiar sight. George was utterly in love with his mother.

"Hello everyone." Mary's voice sang through the hall as she entered, returning from work. She had decided against taking a whole year out for maternity leave for their second child. George was now seven months old and a very relaxed, well-behaved baby. In addition, Matthew was now in a position where he could work from home a couple of days a week, so she had recently started going back to work two mornings a week. "What are you watching?" She asked, seeing both of her children sat in front of the television.

"The Little Mermaid." Ella answered, her eyes not leaving the screen.

"George is Flounder." Matthew informed his wife as she leaned down to give him a kiss on the lips.

"What do you mean?" Mary asked. Matthew pointed his head in the direction of the sofa and she noticed her baby son swamped in a bright yellow T-shirt that Ella wore to bed. "Oh, Georgie!" She freed him from the fabric, although he wasn't particularly troubled by it, and picked him up. He instantly cuddled against her and grabbed her hair between his pudgy fists. "Ella, sweetie, why don't you use one of your dolls to dress up?" She asked, using her free hand to stroke her daughter's hair. "You won't be able to dress George up anymore in a year or two."

For the first time since the film had begun, Ella tore her gaze away from it and looked to her mother with wide eyes. "Why?"

"He'll be too big then, won't he?" Mary explained patiently. "He won't sit still and let you dress him because he'll want to play with his own toys."

"But he won't be as big as me, will he?" Ella asked, beginning to sound slightly panicked.

"He will eventually, yes." Mary replied, frowning slightly in confusion. Her brows rose up in alarm as she noticed her daughter's bottom lip begin to wobble - the unmistakable sign of impending waterworks.

"Darling, what is it?" Matthew sprang up from his chair and knelt by the little girl, while Mary looked on with concern.

"I don't want him to grow big!" Ella cried out, tears falling down her rosy cheeks. She looked up at George sadly while he remained nestled in his mother's arms, contentedly chewing on her hair and oblivious to the fact that he was being talked about.

Matthew and Mary shared a quick glance at each other. They had two children now, yet were still continually bemused and intrigued by the workings of each child's brain. Each hour brought some act or statement that was funny, sweet, silly, heartbreaking, or a mixture of all of these. This one was rather heavy on the heartbreak. They were very lucky to have two children who loved each other so much, despite the differences in age and gender.

"My sweet girl, George has to grow big, in the same way that you do." Matthew said softly, wiping her tears with the pad of his thumb. "You can still play with him, though. In fact, it might be easier to play with him when he's bigger and can run around with you!" He said enthusiastically, hoping to buoy her spirits. It seemed to work, for her tears stopped flowing. Another trait that never failed to amaze the young Crawley parents was how quickly teardrops could be turned on and off.

"Can he take Ken to get his car fixed while me and Barbie go shopping?" Ella asked earnestly.

Suppressing an eye-roll at the sexist stereotyping involved in children's toys, Mary responded patiently and with a smile, "Yes, he'll be able to do that for you." She watched fondly as Ella pondered over this for a few moments, before seemingly acquiescing with these circumstances.

"Then can I have another baby brother to dress up?" She asked Matthew, apparently presuming that brothers were made by the male parent.

Not seeing Mary's panicked expression, Matthew replied unthinkingly, "Wouldn't you want a little sister to dress up instead?" He turned his head sharply to look at Mary, who had just lightly smacked him on the arm.

"Will you stop offering up younger siblings?" She hissed under her breath. "Babies aren't that easy to produce, you know."

Matthew couldn't resist smirking. "Oh, I don't know, we didn't seem to have much trouble _producing_ them, from what I recall." This earned him another light smack and narrowed eyes from his wife, at which he chuckled.

"You can dress up George for a little while longer, and once he is big you'll have Aunty Edith's baby to play with." Mary suggested, referring to the baby that her own sister was due to have in a few months' time.

Much to Matthew's amusement, Ella rolled her eyes as dramatically as her mother usually did. "Aunty Edith's so _boring_!"

"Now, Ella," Mary said more sternly, "Aunty Edith cares for you very much and she and Uncle Anthony always bring you lovely presents, don't they?" Knowing how strongly Mary agreed with her daughter's sentiments, it was amusing for Matthew to see Mary stick up for her sister like that.

"'Spose..." Ella conceded grudgingly.

Mary sighed. It was awfully hypocritical of her to chastise her daughter for holding the exact opinions that Mary has always held, but she couldn't let anything damage the relationship between aunt and niece. It wouldn't be right. Besides, her own relationship with Edith had improved markedly over the past few years, since they had each settled down. "Well, it's time for George's to have his afternoon snack, and you should have yours too, little lady." Mary said kindly, taking the remote control and pausing the film.

"Does Daddy get a snack too?" Matthew asked, hoisting Ella up onto his shoulders.

"Daddy can have a very special snack once he gets his article finished." Mary said pointedly. Matthew had been commissioned to write an article for a prestigious legal journal on a recent case that overturned decades of precedent. It was an honour to be asked but, despite being more than capable of writing it, Matthew had been suffering from writers' block. Mary had therefore been devising ways to encourage him to work on it, the rewards she offered him ranging from preparing his favourite meals to rather more sordid pursuits...

"Is this the same 'special snack' that I got a couple of nights ago?" Matthew murmured to her as they carried their children towards the kitchen. "Because that was more of a 'snack' for you than me, wasn't it?" He smirked naughtily, prompting Mary to blush profusely.

"Matthew!" She scolded, her eyes darting to the infants.

"Relax, they don't understand." Matthew reassured her. Indeed, George was too small to follow any conversation at all and Ella was happily singing Under the Sea to herself.

...

"Be careful, we might wake them." Mary whispered, grinning as her husband carried her to their bedroom, his impatient footsteps noisy on the carpeted floor.

"Sorry, I suppose I'm a little eager to make love to my wife properly for the first time in weeks." Matthew replied, kicking the door shut behind them as he hurried the last couple of metres to their bed and dropped her down, prompting a giggle.

"What do you mean?" Mary queried in between kisses, Matthew moving on top of her. "Wasn't Thursday done 'properly'?" She asked, referring to the short romp they'd had between waking up and Matthew leaving for work in the morning.

"I expired a little sooner than I would have liked..." Matthew admitted sheepishly, letting her kiss his neck as they began removing each other's clothes. After their afternoon snacks, the children had both felt sleepy - particularly Ella, who was exhausted by her dramatic re-enactment of Ariel losing her voice while Matthew had desperately tried to feed her some banana slices. Fed and asleep, the children were unlikely to require anything for at least an hour or so, as Matthew had expertly argued in order to convince his wife that they should take advantage of the circumstances. Mary suspected that he was trying to avoid going back to work, but she couldn't resist the temptation to spend some time alone with her gorgeous husband. It was so rare these days to find time away from the children - whenever such an occasion did arise, Mary and Matthew usually spent it finishing off chores or catching up on how their days were going. More than that, though, today was a special day - it marked the tenth anniversary of their first date. They weren't one of those couples who celebrated every possible anniversary they could think of - they were both too busy with their jobs and family to make time for all that - but it seemed like they should at least be able to make love on such a milestone.

"Well, after ten years with me and having borne two children, I'm just glad that you're still expiring at all..." Mary said drily, squirming delightedly as Matthew's hand slid up her now bare torso.

"Shut up, you beautiful thing." Matthew chastised softly, gladly taking the opportunity to kiss her quiet. Indeed, it amazed him that they had been together for a decade - both in terms of dating and marriage - and had grown so comfortable and open with one another's flaws and annoying habits, yet he was still thrilled and excited to be able to enjoy this woman's affections. He smirked as she purred when he rubbed his palm up her thigh and underneath her dress to caress her hip. Over the years, they had enjoyed finding and creating new soft-spots on each other's bodies. For a while, Matthew had crumbled whenever Mary darted her warm tongue over his belly-button, and Mary whimpered whenever Matthew's fingers tickled her behind her knees. Now, though, it was touching Mary's upper legs that drove her wild.

"Mmm..." Mary hummed into Matthew's mouth as they kissed slowly, her leg rubbing against his hip and across his own leg. It was such a luxury these days to be able to kiss unhurriedly, as opposed to the quick pecks and hasty kisses they usually shared. "God, I forgot how good you are at this..." She murmured, her eyes involuntarily closing and her toes curling against Matthew's thigh as he skilfully pleasured the skin on her throat and cleavage.

"I'm not sure whether I should be offended that I'm forgettable or pleased that you're now impressed." Matthew glanced up with a cute frown that made Mary smile.

"Always be pleased." She advised him. They kissed passionately for a few more minutes, Matthew thoroughly enjoying her increasingly impatient reactions to his teasing fingers and mouth, until she eventually pulled away. "Hurry up." She gasped, hooking her leg more purposefully over his hip and tried to roll them so that she was on top.

"Woah, hold on a second." Matthew protested, halting them halfway with a hand on her hip. "I was about to get down to it." He began rolling her onto her back.

"Well maybe _I_ want to be in charge this time." Mary quirked an eyebrow at him playfully. "After all, it would be fitting, wouldn't it?" She teased as he started removing her underwear. "To commemorate, on our tenth anniversary, the fact that I have been the one in charge of this relationship since day one?" She grinned as Matthew slowly raised his head from her chest, his eyes narrowed in playful challenge.

"You naughty minx." He growled, before turning her on her back and mercilessly tickling and kissing her anywhere he could reach. "Who's in charge now, eh?" He asked, unable to stop himself chuckling as Mary laughed and panted and squealed beneath him, her body writhing against his as she tried to fight him off. "Answer me." Matthew demanded, his hands moving to slightly more sensuous places.

"You!" Mary gasped as she finally felt his fingers tease her in the place that had been aching for him.

"I didn't hear you," Matthew grinned mischievously, watching her head roll back and feeling her nails dig into the muscles in his shoulder. "Who's in charge now?" He asked again, eagerly awaiting her answer.

"Daddy!" A little, but loud, voice startled them and they instantly looked to the door in alarm. Fortunately, they had taught Ella not to enter their bedroom if the door was closed, for the very reason that they wanted to avoid any awkward situations, so she remained on the other side of it.

"Shit." Matthew said under his breath. "What shall we do?" He looked to Mary.

"Firstly, maybe you should remove your hand from its current location..." Mary said through gritted teeth. With a blush and a smirk, Matthew followed her advice. "Secondly, get dressed and see what she wants."

"Why me?" Matthew asked. They had both been painfully aroused just before the interruption, so he didn't see why it should be him who had to get up.

"Because she asked for you, you fool." Mary replied.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy!" Ella chanted eagerly, her small fist knocking against the door. She didn't sound upset or distressed, and they'd had the baby monitor on their bedside table so they knew nothing was wrong.

"What is it, darling?" Matthew opted to call to her from the bed. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I could hear you playing." Ella responded, sounding put out that she wasn't being let in to the room. "And I want to play too."

Matthew and Mary shared a smile. Ella had obviously heard the laughter and delighted shrieks from her parents' room and presumed they were playing a fun game of some sort. "We aren't playing, sweetheart." Matthew responded kindly. "We're...erm..." He looked to Mary to help him explain what they were doing.

"We're watching a film." Mary chimed in, it being all she could think to say. "A grown-up film. Once you've had your nap, we can all finish watching The Little Mermaid and play something together." Mary promised, desperately hoping their daughter would acquiesce.

"Ok..." Ella said, sounding a little disappointed.

"We can play with your new Disney toys!" Mary said optimistically, feeling guilty at the thought of sending her little girl away.

"Ok!" Ella replied, sounding much happier with this idea. Matthew and Mary heard her footsteps bounce back to her room, and they let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

"That was a close one." Matthew said.

"Hmm, it was." Mary smiled up at him, brushing her fingers through his hair.

"Are you still feeling up to it?" Matthew asked hopefully. He, for one, was desperate to release the tension that had built inside him.

"Oh, I don't know, Mr Crawley." Mary shrugged delicately. "_You're_ the one in charge, so I'll leave it to you to decide." She replied cheekily, being well aware of the hungry look in his eyes. She smiled to herself as Matthew's mouth once again descended onto hers.

...

_A/N: hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know whether there are any events/general circurmstances/storylines you would like to see worked into one of the chapters and I will see what I can do :) xxx_


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